George Russell can’t contain emotion after gaining first F1 points for Williams
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George Russell couldn't hold back the tears after he crossed the line in ninth at the Hungarian Grand Prix to score his first F1 points for Williams.
The popular British driver has long threatened to finish in the top ten for the Grove team so it was a relief when the moment finally arrived at the Hungaroring.
Russell jumped from P8 to P17 on the grid after a manic first corner which saw five drivers exit the race and Max Verstappen fall down the order.
He later dropped back to P9 but that didn't matter to Russell who was overcome with joy and emotion when he was interviewed after the race.
Puffing out his cheek with tears streaming down his face, he said: "I'm lost for words."
Russell was later promoted to P8 after Sebastien Vettel was disqualified after the race.
In a subsequent interview, the Williams driver explained why he was so emotional.
"I literally shed a tear earlier, I don’t know literally where it came from; it all just came flooding out," he said on the F1 TV Post-Race Show.
"It does mean so much more than just scoring points. When you’ve been fighting for this for so long, at one point you just think: is it ever going to happen?"
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Russell has experienced more than his fair share of near misses this season, making Sunday's achievement all the sweeter.
"When the situation in Imola happened [when he crashed out after tangling with Valtteri Bottas], when I was in Austria – P8 – and… was breaking down, then Fernando passing me a few laps to the end.
"And then with Silverstone, getting the penalty – maybe deserved, maybe it wasn’t – I felt like today was probably [going to make up for it] and we’re probably even on the luck side of things, and I guess we really capitalised."
Williams had cause for double celebration at the Hungaroring as Russell's team-mate Nicolas Latifi finished eighth, later promoted to seventh.
It was the team's first double points finish since Imola in 2018 and moves them above Alfa Romeo and Haas in the Constructors' Championship.
Russell summed up what it meant to the team, adding: "Four years for the team, proper disappointment along the way, tough moments – not just for me personally, because what I experience, the team are experiencing too.
"It’s just a huge relief."
In one of the most dramatic races of the season, Esteban Ocon claimed his maiden F1 victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton who was promoted from third to second after Sebastien Vettel was disqualified.
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